Out For Blood
by gar.ktbug
Summary: Kate is attacked, and it leads to some unfortunate consequnces for her and the team. When one of them gets hurt, the others are out for blood. WARNING: dark story, deals with the issue of rape. Set at the very end of season 2, and goes into season 3
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Sorry that I totally went MIA for a long time. I honestly lost my motivation to write fanfics. But I've had the idea for this story for a really long time, because I saw the challenge idea on a message board. The idea was that at the end of season two, if Kate hadn't been killed (which she shouldn't have been) that the writers would have had to deal with the fact that Sasha Alexander was pregnant on the show in some way. The person said that it would be intersting to see how the team would deal with it if the pregancy was caused by rape. I totally just gave away really important key parts to my story, but that's ok! Read it anyway, because you'll get to see my take on how her relationships with her team will change, and how she will handle it herself. I'm going to ship her with someone, but I'll keep that part a surprise until later, that way you have something to look foward to. But in all seriousness, this is actually going to be a really dark story in the beginning, because it does deal with the issue of rape, so if that offends you, then this isn't a story for you to read. So just know, you have been warned. I would really appriciate your feedback, as always, so review please! I'm thinking this is going to be a fairly long story, and I'mm going to update it once of twice a week, depending on how busy I am. So please please please review! Happy reading :)

Chapter 1

_"Shooter!" shouted Kate as she dove in front of Gibbs. A shot rang out and hit Kate as she fell to the ground. Tony and Gibbs stepped forward and shot at the source of the bullet until a man fell through the tin door that he was hiding behind._

_The two men ran over to where Kate laid on the roof. They flipped her over, only to see he bullet lodged in her vest. Both of them let out a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes and groaned in pain. "You alright Kate?" asked Tony. Kate let out a groan and replied, "I just got shot at point blank range DiNozzo, what do you think?". Tony smirked and replied, "You're not going to Pilates class tomorrow, and that wasn't point blank range."_

_Gibbs saw something flash out of the corner if his eye. He looked out across the city line, and saw it again on an adjacent rooftop. He looked closer, and saw that the source was a sniper's nest. He called McGee to get air support for back up._

_Across the roof, Ari sat poised to take his shot. He cocked his weapon, but as he prepared to take Kate out, he heard the sound of a helicopter behind him. "Next time Caitlin," he said as he fled._

Kate jolted awake in a panic. She looked around, and saw her familiar apartment. She attempted to steady her breathing as the events of the previous day replayed once again in her head. The vision of a dead Ari popped into her mind, following the look of triumph that cane across Gibbs's face after he shot him just hours ago.

Looking over at the clock, she saw it said 1:00am. She sighed as she fell back onto her pillow. She'd had a close encounter with death today. She was very aware of that, but still, the only thing she could think of was Ari coming after her again. She had thought she was safe, and she most definitely wasn't. The only comfort she found was that he wouldn't be hurting her, or anyone ever again.

On her bead side table, her cell phone began to vibrate. 'Who would be calling me at this time?' she thought. She leaned over to look at her caller ID. A smile spread across her face as she read the name. It was Tyler, the man she was currently dating.

She and Tyler had met in a coffee shop that Kate frequented before work. They had bonded over the fact that he too had an unreasonable, chauvinistic boss. It started out as an acquaintance, and they had talked over coffee a few times. Soon though, it had turned into a full blown relationship. Due to the fact that they both had hectic work schedules, they didn't see each other often, but when they did, Kate enjoyed it. A lot. She knew that Tyler cared about her, and she cared about him as well. She hoped that their relationship would continue, because if it did, she actually saw herself declaring him as "the one".

Kate reached over to answer the phone. She smiled as she flipped it open and heard his voice greeting her. "Well, it seems that since you answered the phone, you are in fact awake." he said. "Unfortunately yes. It would appear that you are also awake." she replied matter-of-factly. "I just got off work, and I was hoping I could take you out somewhere." he said. "At 1:00 in the morning?" she asked sarcastically. "Hey, love knows no time." he replied. The word love, which usually made Kate squirm, made her body fill with warmth.

"You are at home, right?" he asked. "I should pick you up at your apartment correct?" he added quickly. "Yeah, but how long will you be? I have to get ready." she asked. "Oh, I haven't left work yet, so don't expect me for at LEAST 45 minutes." he replied. "Alright, I'll see you then." she said as she hung the phone up.

After she had gotten up out of bed and was moving about her apartment, she began to feel uneasy. Something about the urgency in Tyler's voice didn't seem right. And the way he asked her if she was home, telling her not to expect anyone for 45 minutes. She began to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

She tried to put herself at ease. It was Tyler for goodness sakes! She trusted him, and knee he didn't intent to make her feel uncomfortable. Still, she couldn't shake this feeling of dread that was slowly creeping over her.

She walked back into her bedroom to call him back and cancel, but when she reached her phone, she heard something move behind her. She froze, not wanting to alert anyone if there was a person there. She made a move for her pistol under her pillow, but she came up empty handed. She spun around quickly anyway.

"Looking for this Kate?" asked the man who stood in her bedroom. Kate didn't dare move. She was almost paralyzed with fear. There, standing in front of her, pointing her own gun at her face was Tyler.

He circled around Kate, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. He had her gun pulled on her, and wasn't saying anything. Kate sat there, some of her initial fear having disappeared.

"Ah, Kate, it's so nice to see you again. It was such a shame that Gibbs discovered my friend, Ari, before he was able to take a shot. If he hadn't, you would be dead." he stated matter-of-factly. Kate tried not to let her emotions show. She hadn't been aware that Tyler knew Ari. Their whole relationship was most likely just a way for Ari to get to her. She pushed these thoughts to the back as He continued. "He was planning on killing you to get to your boss, but after what happened this afternoon, I have a newfound sense of vengeance. I realized that I can't kill you, no matter how much I would like to help Ari finish what he started." Kate felt relief wash over her as he said those worlds. At least he might make it out alive.

"I have to do something much worse." he continued. Kate's heart skipped a beat. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She couldn't believe that the man whom she believe cared about her so much, was not holding her at gun point.

She tried to think of a way to distract him long enough to retrieve her gun. She knew she didn't have much time, and would have to act fast. Tyler stepped closer to her, and she stood knocking the gun to the floor with her right arm. Tyler swung at her, and missed. Se dove to the ground, reaching for her pistol, and she reached it just in time to her the cocking of a much larger weapon. She turned over, gun pointed at him, so see that he was now pointing a riffle in her face, that he had been hiding on a strap behind his back. Kate was immediately angry with herself for not noticing it.

"Put the gun down." he instructed. Kate placed the pistol beside her on the ground. Tyler bent down to pick it up, and as he did so, Kate shot her leg out and he was sent face first onto the floor. She stood and attempted to flee from the room, but Tyler was close behind her, and grabbed her from behind. He pulled her back into the room, and flung her on the bed. Kate rolled the other way, but he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the head board. Kate winced in pain as he pulled out rope and a knife to tie her up. She pulled her arms away and tried to sit up, but he had thrown her back down faster than she could react. Before she could fight back, her arms were tied to the head board and her legs were being held down by his strong arms.

"You bastard," spat Kate. "You filthy, dirty, scumbag-" Kate was cut off by strike across the cheek. Her head snapped to the side at the force of the blow. She felt the skin split and blood start to run down her face. He grabbed her under the chin and pulled her face towards him. He reached down to rip off a piece of her night shirt with one hand, and jammed it into her mouth with the other, which he then secured with duct tape.

He paced around her bed, eyeing her. Kate squirmed under his disgusting gaze. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he approached her. He reached out his hands with false gentleness, and began to tear her clothing away. A few moments later, all that covered Kate were her undergarments and her tattered night clothes. Those were soon gone too however, and she laid totally exposed under his probing eyes. He looked at her with lust and authority in his eyes, as if he owner her, and could do with her what he pleased.

Kate tried to squirm from his vision, attempting to cover herself up. She wanted her dignity and pride to remain somewhat intact, if there was any left at all. Tyler's hands began to descent on Kate. Roughly and harshly, they moved up and down her body, over her shoulders, her arms, her chest, and down her hips to her thighs. His hands finally release her, only to move to his own pants. He dropped his pants to the floor, along with his boxers. Kate dared not look to see if he was wearing protection. Tyler climbed on top of Kate, and began to laugh as he saw the fear in her eyes as be prepared to violate her.

And that he did. He showed no mercy, being rough and forcefully the whole time. Occasionally, Kate let whimpers of pain escape her throat, although he doubted he heard them. He did however; notice the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. After working so hard to hide her emotions, Kate had finally cracked, and let herself go. Tyler had laughed at this obvious display of emotion. He began to whisper insulting things in her ear. It began with him calling her week, but soon he began to call her profane names.

Kate endured what seemed like hours of torture before, as quickly as he had come in, he left her alone in her apartment. He even returned her fire arm and left his knife, presumably for her to free herself. He wanted her to live, but he wanted her to carry these scars for the rest of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I'm so happy with the positive response to the story so far! Just wanted to let you know that the rating has been updated to M, and I thought that's what I had set it to in the first place. That was totally my mistake, and that was my intended rating all along. This chapter is shorted than the last one, and the next one will be somewhat short as well, because I split in in half. I wante to give you guys something to hold you over without giving too much away. So I hope you all enjoy! Please revies, so that I can have your feedback! I love to hear from you guys :)

Chapter 2

After what seemed like another eternity, Kate managed to free herself. The moment the binds left her body, she was on auto pilot. She got herself up, and dressed without bothering to clean herself up at all. She drove all the way to the civilian hospital in a daze. When she finally reached the parking lot, her auto pilot failed. She sat in her car, not knowing how to proceed. She knew that she had a decision to make.

She could choose to be brave, and go inside. She would have to endure all of their poking, prodding, and testing, but in the end it could prove to be worth it. She was hurt, after all, and probably needed medical attention. In fact, every inch of her body hurt. She knew that going inside was the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do.

But then there was the easy thing to do, which was drive home and forget the whole thing ever happened. She didn't want to attract any more attention to herself than she already had, what with the whole Ari situation. She knew that going inside was a huge risk. If they did a rape kit, metro PD would most likely be involved as well. She knew that if she went inside, there was a risk of her team finding out through the grape vine, before she decides to tell them, if she ever did.

Her internal battle was interrupted when she heard a knock on her window. She looked up to see a friendly looking nurse standing there. "Do you need any help?" asked the nurse through the window. Kate didn't respond. She just stared back at her. The nurse asked again, "Are you alright? Why don't you come inside with me?" Kate slowly placed her hand on the door handle. It was now or never, she thought to herself. With that thought, she opened the door.

* * *

She sat behind the wheel of her car, taking in all that had just happened. Three miserable hours later, she was finally free to leave the hospital. They had wanted to keep her longer, but she protested until they released her. She always wondered what victims like this go through. She had seen cases before where women go crazy in the hospital. Now she knew why.

She had never felt more vulnerable in her life. They treated her like a basket case, and talked to her like a child. The worst part of the experience was the rape kit. It was almost as terrible as the actual rape. She felt so violated. Metro PD wasn't helping matters much either. The officers who questioned her were cold and unfriendly. She hardly believed a word they said. She had a hard time telling them what happened, and they weren't doing a very good job comforting her. She was starting to appreciate her fellow agents at NCIS more and more through this whole experience.

Before she could control it, the tears began to fall, and sobs escaped her lips. She felt raw emotion coming out, and she wasn't trying to stop it. After about 20 minted of sitting and crying, her eyes were dried up and all that was left were sniffles. She looked at the clock on her dash, which now read 7:45. She had 15 minutes before she was supposed to be at work.

She picked up her phone and called Gibbs, but much to her dismay, he didn't answer. Unfortunately, neither did Tony. She sighed as McGee answered the phone, sounding annoyingly cheerful. "Morning Kate, what's up." he greeted her. "Hi McGee," she said politely. Her voice sounded small and horse instead of confident like it usually did. McGee picked up on this, and felt concerned, but didn't say anything. "Could you tell Gibbs I'm sick today, and that I'm not coming in." she continued, trying to sound as normal as possible. "Sure Kate, mind if I ask what's wrong?" McGee asked.

Kate contemplated her options. She could tell McGee the real reason why she wasn't coming in today. She could dump the whole thing on her team and they would have a field day raking through the most intimate details of her personal life. She could give them reason to treat her like a basket case too, and ruin her relationship with her team forever. However, she knew that telling them was the smart thing to do, and she would most likely have to do it sooner or later.

"Just a cold McGee, I'll be fine." with those last words, she hung up the phone. She wanted to kick herself. Why hadn't she just told the truth? Why was this so hard for her? She knew the answers to these questions though. She knew that for now, she made the right choice. She would tell them another time. It wasn't something to be discussed over the phone.

She rested her head on the steering wheel for a minute or two, and then she proceeded to drive herself home. She cleaned up her apartment until all traces of last night had vanished. She took a shower too, hoping to make herself feel less dirty, but it didn't help. She scrubbed until her skin was red and raw, but she still felt his filthy hands on her. Feeling dejected, she sat on the shower floor and cried until the water ran cold, and when she finally found the motivation to move, she transported herself from the bathroom, to her closet to get dressed, and back to bed. She curled up in her warm covers and went to sleep. The only safe thought running through her mind was that she had added a lock to her front door, and engaged the alarm system for the first time since she moved in. She thought that being a federal agent; she was safe and didn't need it. She was wrong.

* * *

"Boss," McGee greeted Gibbs as he entered the bullpen, "Kate's ski. Not coming into work today". Gibbs sat down at his desk. It wasn't like Kate to call in sick. She never missed work unless it was something serious. He almost had the urge to call her and find out what was wrong…almost.

He grunted in reply to McGee, wondering how they would manage to fill out all the paperwork they had in store today with one less person. Gibbs had replayed the previous evening in his head a hundred times. He remembered every second, every detail, as if he was there, witching it happen in slow motion.

_"I've killed enough men in my day Ari. It's gunna' be almost as sweet watching you die." said Gibbs. Ari lifted the riffle in his arms and prepared to shoot him. Gibbs whipped out his hidden pistol and shot Ari, straight in the forehead. He stood and walked over to the body. Looking down at Ari's now dead eyes, he finished, "Almost."_

Gibbs's attention was brought back to the present when Tony entered the squad-room. The three men were now all sitting at their computers doing paperwork. It looked as if it would be a pretty uneventful day.

* * *

Kate awoke to find herself lying in bed at three o'clock that afternoon. At first she was confused by the fact that she had stayed in bed so late, until she remembered the events of the previous night. She was already feeling regret for not going to her team. She knew how backed up Metro PD was, and she had seen how they handled cases like hers. But she didn't want to involve them. She had spent the last two years establishing herself as a woman in the workplace, and a member of their team. She would be useless when it came to undercover work, and forced out of the field an into desk duty if deemed psychologically unfit.

Most frightening of all was the fact that she knew they wouldn't treat her the same. They would shield from even the most casual of touch, and filter their words as if they were talking to a child, and not a coworker. She didn't want to lose their respect in the workplace, and she didn't want to lose their sincerity as friends. She knew that having people to go to at work that were totally unaware and acted completely normal, would help her get past this as soon as possible. And that was all she wanted; to get through this as soon as possible.

She forced herself out of bed and into the kitchen to make coffee. She thought that caffeine would make her feel more alive. After three cups, she still felt the same; lifeless and dead. She couldn't figure out how people got through something like this. The physical trauma alone was hard enough to handle.

On top of that, there was the emotional baggage she was currently carrying. She had trusted Tyler, with everything. She had honestly thought that he was a nice, decent human being, and she was far from right. The fact that he worked for Ari was just another slap in the face. She had really liked him, and it turned out that their whole relationship had been a lie; just a ploy to get him close to her, and to get information from her. She felt so used, in more ways than one.

She had known something was wrong that last night when he wanted to come to her house. Her gut was telling her to run, and she didn't listen. Now she was in a terrible situation, with no way out, and no sign of it being over soon. She didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She felt like the whole thing was her fault, and that she didn't even deserve to have her team help her. She could have prevented this whole thing…so why didn't she?


	3. Chapter 3

Alright...I totally bit it this mornng and sprained my knee, so I've been sitting at home all day with nothing to do, and I got a LOT of writing done. I hope you all like this chapter! I thought it would be interesting to show how the different characters react to Kate, because I know I told you all that I was going to ship her with someone. You guys might not expect it, based on how I'm going to play the characters in the chapters to come. Anyway, I hope you guys like it, and I really want you all to review and give feedback so I can make he story better as I go along!

It had been three days. Three days of paperwork in the office, and three days of stalling in Kate's apartment. She was well aware that the work on the case with Ari was far from done, and that if she stayed home any longer, they would start to wonder. The last thing she needed was her team snooping in her personal life at the moment.

So after three days, she decided to brave the office once again. She woke up at her normal time and went through the motions, doing everything she could to make herself look as normal as, if not better than, usual. As she pulled up to the building at 7:45, she was beginning to rethink her decision.

She definitely wasn't "normal". Although she had done an exceptional job at hiding the bruises all over her, and the cut on her cheek, she still had the sudden urge to cry any time she thought about what had happened. She also feared that even casual touches from her teammates would send her over the edge. The last thing she wanted was to have a full blown breakdown in the middle of the squad room.

After five minutes of hesitation, she finally decided she would have to risk it. It would be better than the alternative. As she walked into the office, she was greeted by team, who were already seated at their desks doing paperwork. At the sight of them, she immediately became tense. She hadn't remembered them all to be so strong looking, or so forceful, or so male. She returned the friendly greeting and plopped down in her chair. She intensely buried herself in her paperwork for the next two hours, attempting to ignore the concerned yet menacing glances from her fellow agents.

McGee watched Kate intently, hoping to catch on to what was wrong. He had never seen her miss work for so long. Come to think of it, he'd never seen her miss work at all. When he talked to her on the phone, she hadn't sounded sick, but she'd said she had a cold. He had already formed some theories of what might be wrong, in his head. He knew that the ordeal with Ari had been stressful on her. It had been stressful on all of them. Maybe she just needed some time to herself, to regroup and what not. He also suspected that it might have something to do with a personal problem. He knew full well that Kate had been seeing someone, mainly because it had been an intense source of argument between her and Tony. She had never told them his name though, and for that, he was glad. If it turned out to be another one of Tony's old buddies, he didn't know if he could take it. Maybe she was having a rough time with him. He knew that probably wouldn't cause her to miss three days of work, but that was all had had for now. Maybe I'll find out what's up sometime today, he thought to himself.

Gibbs sat at his computer trying to do paperwork. The worst thing about their job was the paperwork. His thoughts were far from the files on his desk, however. He couldn't help but notice that something was wrong with Kate. He was that she was on edge, and that there was probably something bothering her. He was surprised when she had called in sick on the first day, shocked on the second, and in disbelief on the third. Now that she had finally dragged herself in, he could see why she hadn't been in. She looked like hell. He could tell that she had tried to look normal as possible, but Gibbs saw right through her façade. He could see that she had something on her mind, and he intended to find out what it was. He knew, however, that now wasn't the time, or the place to interrogate her over something that probably wasn't that big of a deal. So he held off, and continued with his paperwork.

Tony was sitting at his desk, fiddling with a pencil, and watching Kate intently. He could see that something was up with her; that something wasn't quite right. Sure, she HAD almost been shot, and she HAD spent the last three days on protection detail for Gibbs, and that could really screw with a person. But somehow, this was different. She wasn't acting like herself today. She was trying to hide something, and from the looks of her, it was something big. Tony was slightly offended that she would keep secrets from them. Did she not trust them? Was there something seriously wrong? He tried to push those thoughts from his head as he attempted to start his paperwork. Obviously, it wasn't something that she wanted to talk about. He knew that in time, it would be something she'd work out on her own.

A feeling of paranoia washed through Kate as she realized something. All it took was one click to see that when and why Kate had been admitted to the hospital and a little checking up with Metro would have blown her cover big time. She tried to push those thoughts from her head as she pushed on through her day.

* * *

It had now been almost six hours since she arrived at work, and Kate had finished all of her paperwork. She had ignored the conversations happening around her, and worked more diligently than ever before. She turned down Tony's offer to have lunch with him and McGee, because he wasn't hungry. She hadn't had much of an appetite over the last few days. But she hadn't told him that, obviously. She had made an excuse about needing to finish what she was in the middle of.

Now that she was done, she had nothing to hide behind. She was about to make a break for the ladies room to regroup and think of a backup plan, since burying herself in work was no longer an option, when Abby came bounding around the corner.

"Kaaaaaate!" she said excitedly as she approached her desk. "Tony said you were back! We missed you!" Abby pulled her up from her chair into a bear hug. Although Kate was tense at first, she soon relaxed after a moment. It was Abby after all, and she trusted her. Kate actually enjoyed this moment of comfort a little too much. Abby pulled away before Kate was ready to let go of the safe embrace, leaving Kate feeling slightly more empty inside than she had felt before, if that was possible.

Abby was talking a mile a minute about all that Kate had missed, when a beeper went off in her pocket, sending her back down to the lab to see what test results were in. Kate sighed as her friend walked away, wishing she would stay. She found her presence about the men in the squad room comforting, and was sad to see her leave.

"Boss, I found something interesting while looking through Ari's burn phone records." said McGee later that day. Kate had pretended to do productive work all afternoon in order to distract the rest of the team. She had managed to stay out of most of the conversations that happened in the bullpen throughout the day. This was no different. "I saw this repeated number on the call log. He called it several times yesterday afternoon after the rooftop. I traced the number back to a man named Tyler Ward." McGee said. Kate felt all the blood drain from her face at once. She tried to hear over the ringing in her ears, to see if he had said what she thought he said. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't work. Her hands trembled, and her vision blurred. She felt incredibly cold and unbearably hot all at the same time. After a few moments, when the initial shock wore off, she was able to return to typing. Her reaction had not gone unnoticed by Gibbs, however, who now watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"I checked his call logs to see if they matched up, and I found something unusual as well. After the time Ari was killed, all the calls from Tyler stopped. I checked the call log for Tyler, and his calls stop after the time Ari was killed as well., until about 1:00 in the morning, when this call came through", he pulled it up on the screen to show everybody. "I assume that Tyler was working with Ari in some way," stated McGee. Tony looked at the number on the screen, and said, "Hey, isn't that your number Kate?"

Kate felt dizzy once more. Her face and ears turner red, and she was sure that this time, all three of them saw her reaction. She slowly looked up to see her cell number flashing on the screen. Gibbs was watching her with growing concern. It wasn't like her to miss work unannounced, especially for three days in a row. And she looked perfectly healthy now, so it couldn't have been anything that serious. She had been acting skittish all day. She had barely said a word since she got to work that morning. He could tell something was wrong from the moment she walked in the door, and based on the way he was reacting to this information, he knew it had something to do with this. "Excuse me," Kate said as she quickly stood and exited the bullpen. The three men watched her leave. There was a tense and uneasy feeling in the room. "McGee, find out more about this guy," instructed Gibbs as he went and sat down at his computer.

Gibbs knew that if Kate was missing work from being sick, it might have been serious enough to go the hospital. He began to search all hospital records for Kate's name within the last three days. When he came up empty, he decided to check the civilian hospitals as well. Sure enough, Kate had checked herself into Georgetown three days ago at 4:30 in the morning. Gibbs was even more puzzled now than he was before. Something had obviously happened to Kate that she wasn't telling them.

Tony returned to his desk, even more puzzled than before. He had no earthly idea why Kate would have been in contact with this man. He was obviously working with Ari in some way. He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, and assume she didn't know. After all, she wanted even less to do with Ari than anyone else on the team. He knew that she would be trying to distance herself from this case as much as possible. But that didn't explain why she had left in such a hurry. He was sure that he was hiding something now, and he was sure that it was more than a few phone calls.

McGee sat quietly at his desk as he did as he was told. He was thoroughly confused now. He couldn't fit the pieces together. He knew that this was probably none of his business. This was between Kate and Tyler…and maybe Gibbs. He just wanted answers, like everyone else. He searched through a few data bases before he found a hit. There was an open case at Metro that had his name associated with it. He opened the file, and his eyes widened.

"Uhm, Boss," McGee piped up, "you might want to come see this". The young agent had a case file pulled up from Metro PD. Gibbs only needed to skim it to gather the information he needed. This was an investigation into a sexual assault, in which Tyler Ward was the prime suspect. The case had only been open for three days, and the assault had occurred the night that Ari died, and Tyler last had contact with Kate. Gibbs didn't have a good feeling about this.

Kate obviously knew something about it, and was hiding it from them. That's why she had been acting so strange all day. "See if you can bring up the victim's name. We'll need to bring her in for questioning." said Gibbs sadly. Questioning a rape victim was never easy, and not something he was looking forward to. "Actually, that part of the record is sealed boss," said McGee. "We'll get the files in the morning," replied Gibbs.

He looked at his watch, and it was far past quitting time. He dismissed Tony and McGee, but stayed behind to wait for Kate. He knew she would wait until she thought the coast was clear before coming to retrieve her things. Sure enough, she rounded the corner ten minutes later. She hadn't noticed Gibbs sitting at his dark desk, until he leaned forward and turned on the desk light. She was startled by this action, and nearly jumped out of her skin. Something was definitely bothering her, and he intended to find out what it was.

"Todd, elevator, now," he said gruffly as he stood and walked out of the bullpen. Kate followed behind. The doors opened and he stepped in, but Kate was reluctant to follow. She hesitated, standing there for a moment looking from Gibbs, to her desk, and back. She let out a sigh that didn't relieve any of her obvious physical tension, and finally stepped in. Gibbs let the elevator move down half a floor, and flipped the switch.


	4. Chapter 4

So before I talk about this chapter, which is a good one I might add, I want to adress what happened last night. WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT? I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS! SO MANY FEELING... I really hope peopld on't die, and that's all I have to say about that. So on the the chapter... this is kind of short, but I wanted to leave the last chapter at a cliff hanger (sounds familiar, huh...) so this one will just be shorter. I'm realy happy with how much you guys like it so far. I wasn't expecting such a positive response. It seriously makes my day everytime I see a positive review or comment. So keep doing what you guys are doing :) I really hope you like this chapter. It was super hard to write because it's pretty emotional. I hope you guys like it, because I worked really hard to not make it over the topor cheesey. PLEASE REVIEW, because it makes me happy!

Chapter 4

Kate stared at her feet as became increasingly uncomfortable as Gibbs stared her down. She knew that this was the time that everything had to come out. He hadn't wanted them to find out like this. She didn't want to feel pressured to tell them anything. She wanted to deal with it herself before she let them deal with it. She was afraid that they would never trust her again. She was afraid that they'd be angry with her for letting something like this happen.

"Tell me what you know," said Gibbs. Kate drew in a shaky breath, but still said nothing. "Or tell me what's wrong with you, although I have a hunch the two are related," he said, becoming angry at his agent's lack of cooperation.

"Tyler was someone I was seeing. Not anymore," said Kate, her voice horse and quiet. She sounded much different from her usual self. "That's all? Because I think that you're hiding something, and it sure seems to me like you know a hell-of-a-lot more than you're showing", Gibbs was almost shouting at Gibbs. Kate flinched at the tone in his voice.

"I don't want to talk about it Gibbs," she finally said. She mustered up the strength and courage to look him in the eyes. He was slightly taken aback by what he saw. Her eyes were sad. Sadder than he'd ever seen them before, and while he wanted to take her pain away because he hated to see her like this, he was furious that she was keeping imperative information from him.

"The hell you don't!" shouted a fuming Gibbs. He stepped closer to Kate until she her back was against the wall of the elevator. "You're eyes are screaming that you're holding something back. I don't care what it is, but so help he agent Todd, if you don't tell me, I will charge you with withholding information during a federal investigation!" he shouted at her as he banged his fist against the wall. He saw that the sadness in her eyes was now replaced by fear.

Gibbs was taken aback once more. He stepped away momentarily, so she could gather herself. Kate knew that he would never hurt her right? She knew that he was only trying to scare it out of her…right? He was about to ask her again in a calmer tone, when he saw ears dangerously close to escaping her eyes. She slid down until she was sitting with her back against the wall. What had started out as a few tears had now turned into pained sobs that racked her whole body. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her knees.

Gibbs was speechless. He had never witnessed this sort of behavior from Kate. She wasn't one to show her emotion, and even when she did slip, it was never this extreme. He wanted to console and comfort her, but he wasn't sure what would set her off now. He needed answers. Kate's crying had subsided while Gibbs wad lost in his thoughts. She now sat looking straight ahead, contemplating what to say now. She had just had a monumental break down in front of Gibbs. There was no point in trying to hide it anymore, and she wanted him to hear it from her.

"Gibbs…" she began, almost in a whisper. Gibbs had to squat down just to hear her. "I know that Tyler was friends with Ari, and I know that the…assault…was because of Ari too," she said. "He wanted to finish what Ari had started, because you killed him and he wouldn't get the chance to finish it himself," she finished, finally making eye contact with Gibbs. He looked into her eyes, and past the pain, he saw sincerity.

"Who?" was all Gibbs could say. If she knew those things, which Tyler had obviously told her, he was sure she knew who the victim was too. Kate chewed her lip, and looked at the floor. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and drew in a shaky breath before opening her mouth to speak.

"Me," she said, so quiet and distant that Gibbs barely heard it. He felt his blood run cold, and his breath stop. He slowly connected the dots in his head. He stood and turned and ran his hands through his hair. He turned towards the wall and started hitting it. He struck it, almost 10 times before he realized he was frightening Kate. He didn't want to make the situation worse than he already had. He had yelled at her and threatened her as if she was the one to blame, when it turned out she was the victim.

Victim…Kate was the victim of a sexual assault. She was raped. In his opinion, rape was the most horrible crime that could be committed against a woman. Now the victim was not only someone he knew, but someone he cared about, and was responsible for protecting. Although he would never admit it, he really saw Kate as family. He saw the whole team as family. He couldn't bear the thought of a member of their team being hurt like this, especially not Kate. Kate was more than able to defend herself, and she was the strongest women he knew. The person he stared down at now looked more like a scared little girl than an NCIS agent. He was overcome by guilt and sorrow, but had calmed down enough to speak again.

"Why didn't you come to me?" asked Gibbs, as calmly as possible. Kate looked at him as though he should already know the answer. And he did. He was well aware of the double standard when it came to women in law enforcement. They rarely reported sexual abuse in fear of being seen as inferior. He felt another wave of anger pulse through him. That bastard Tyler had hurt Kate, the worst way possible. He wanted to see him die, just like he had seen Ari die. He wanted this man's head, and he would do whatever it took to get it.

He turned his attention back to her. She was in the same position, but now she was fighting back more tears. Gibbs kneeled down next to her, careful not to get to close. He inched nearer and nearer until they were right by each other. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. At first, she tensed up, but after a moment, she relaxed, and her emotions overcame her. Sobs racked her body once more, and he felt her shaking under his hand. He pulled her closer, and she embraced his open arms.

Gibbs held Kate in his lap on the elevator floor, rocking back and forth while rubbing her back comfortingly and whispering soothing nonsense into her ear. She had finally cried her eyes dry, and 30 minutes later, all that was left was sniffling. He kissed the top of her head and rested his chin on it. Gibbs had seen enough rape victims in his day to know that this was a rare occurrence. Most women didn't physically or verbally open up to men for months, sometimes years after their attack. Granted, Kate didn't give him the explicit details, but she had let him comfort her, which was promising.

"Kate," Gibbs began, "you know how I feel about apologies, but some are necessary here. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you. I'm sorry that you got hurt because of my and my fight with Ari. I'm also sorry that you had one of the most heinous crimes committed against you, and no one should ever have to go through that. I'm sorry for anything we did to make you feel like you couldn't come to us, but we're here to help you now." Gibbs said as he reached up and whipped the tears from her cheeks.

Kate slid out of his lap and sat next to him. She looked up at him and said, "No Gibbs, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, and that I couldn't defend myself, and I'm sorry that I let it happen in the first place because-" Kate was cut off by Gibbs. "You have nothing to apologize for, do you hear me?" Gibbs was speaking gently, yet firmly at the same time. Kate fell quiet, and just nodded.

Gibbs put his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. It felt good to get it all out. She felt a little bit of weight lifted from her, and a little less empty. Surprisingly, she felt comforted while in his arms. She hadn't imagined herself ever being able to feel that in the presence of a man, like Tyler, again. But other than being a man, Gibbs was nothing like Tyler.

Gibbs stood up and flipped the switch to on. He reached out his hand for Kate, who took it and stood up. As the elevator reached their floor, Gibbs exited, but told Kate to stay behind and go down to the lab. She could sleep down there on Abby's futon. He couldn't risk letting her leave if Tyler was still out there. He would have felt more comfortable if she was in the bullpen where he could keep an eye on her, but he had to call in the team on this one, and he knew she needed some time to herself. He had no idea how to break the news to them. They had obviously noticed something was wrong with her, but, like him, they never suspected this.

Gibbs sat down at his desk and placed his head in his hands. He knew he needed to see the file from Metro, but he wished he didn't, for Kate's sake. He knew there would be a well-documented recap of what happened, and pictures to go along with it. He knew how private Kate was and that she wouldn't want anyone else to see it. Again he felt a wave of sorrow wash over him. Kate had been violated, and her dignity was stolen from her. He could see just from looking at her that she felt broken. He knew that it was his job to seek justice for her, no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

All right kids, this chapter is a little...strange. I made a bold choice in a character that is probably totally wrong, but I did it anyway. I wanted to keep you all guessing on who Kate will be shipped with, so I'm throwing little bits of fluff from each character to you. Although, this chapter isn't really fluff... Anyway, You already saw a little bit of Gibbs, but there will be more to come. Like I said, I made a bold choice, and McGee does something that isn't really expected of him. I know this story takes place at the beggining of season three, but I consider the McGee in my story to be more mature and sure of himself, kind of like current McGee. Sorry if that confuses anyone, or makes people mad! I just really wanted to do something different, and this kind of seams to fit. So let me know what you all think! I want to know if you all like it so far so I know which way to continue the story. Please review, because you guys rock!

Chapter 5

"Boss!" said a flustered McGee as he raced into the bullpen 30 minutes later. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and from the looks of the cluttered belongings in his arms, he looked like he had been in a hurry to leave his apartment. Gibbs hadn't even told him why he needed to come in, just that he needed to fast. He was glad that McGee had arrived so quickly. Tony on the other hand, was not there, and was not coming anytime soon because his car had a flat. Gibbs made a mental note to slap him when he arrived in the morning, but he had a feeling that when he found out what the big emergency was, Tony would be slapping himself.

He looked at the still winded agent standing in front of him, and was at a loss for words. He had thought of what to say to him for the last 30 minutes, but his mind had drawn a blank. He had no idea how to tell someone news like this. He knew that McGee wouldn't take it well, either. He had always looked up to Kate, and looked to her for advice on how to handle Tony when he gave him a hard time. He knew that McGee really cared about her.

Gibbs took in a deep breath and decided he needed to tell it like it was, which was very, very bad. "McGee," started Gibbs. He paused to gather himself. "Tim," he tried again. McGee looked back at him in anticipation. Gibbs cleared his throat. "We'll be investigating that Metro case now," he finally said. McGee stared back at him in disbelief. "That's all?" he asked. "That's why you called me in here in the middle of the night? Why was that an emergency?" McGee asked, rather annoyed. Gibbs watched as he looked back at him confused. He understood why he was annoyed; he would be too. He deserved an explanation. "We're taking over the investigation," started Gibbs, "because we have an agency connection".

McGee had been pacing, but he now stopped and looked at Gibbs. "Kate was involved boss?" he asked. Gibbs didn't say anything; he just stood up from his desk silently. McGee wanted to believe it wasn't true, but based on Gibbs's reaction, it probably was. "But, I don't understand. How could she be involved in something like that?" he asked confused.

"McGee," Gibbs started as he stepped closer. "Kate was involved, because…" he trailed off. McGee looked back at him with pleading eyes. Gibbs, finally exhausted with his own lack of words blurted out, "She was the one that they were investigation for".

Gibbs couldn't think of a more gentle way to say it than that. He knew that McGee was still piecing things together in his head, and he waited patiently while he did. Suddenly, his eyes popped up to look straight at Gibbs. McGee stared back in disbelief. Gibbs was about to open his mouth to say something, when he sopped himself. He knew that he needed to give him time to comprehend what he'd just said to him.

McGee stared back at his boss in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was suggesting. There was no way it was true. He looked for something on his face that told him otherwise, but it wasn't there. He turned and walked towards his own desk. He sat down silently and stared at his blank computer screen.

Kate was…raped? That wasn't possible. Nothing like that could ever happen to Kate. But, that did explain a lot of unanswered questions. That was why she had missed work. She called him that morning to say she had a "cold". He had talked to her right after it happened, and he didn't even notice anything. That was why she had been acting all weird today. She had seemed like something was bothering her, because something WAS bothering her. She had flipped out when they found out about Tyler, because she didn't was them to find out about the attack. As he connected the dots everything made sense.

That last revelation hurt him though. Why hadn't she wanted him to know? Why had she tried to keep it a secret? He knew that in law enforcement, females didn't want to be seen a weak. But there was nothing weak about Kate. She was the strongest women he knew, and his opinion had not changed about her in the five minutes that he'd known this. They were a team, and they would never judge her. Especially for something that was out of her control.

He could only imagine how Kate was feeling right now. She hadn't told anyone about it, and all of her emotions were bottled up inside. He knew that it was their job to help her through it now, and he felt obligated to do so. He wanted to kill Tyler Ward, in cold blood. He had never felt this way about a person before, but he had never seen a friend get hurt like Kate had.

"Boss," McGee finally said. Gibbs looked up at the young agent with kind eyes. "We're going to get this dirt bag", he finished. His voice wavered as he said it, but Gibbs could tell he was being sincere. "Yeah," he replied. "Yeah we are". With those last words, McGee turned on his computer and got to work.

"I hate metro," McGee said as they stepped into the building a few hours later. It was now morning, and people had already arrived at work in the building. "They have no competence in criminal investigation", he finished, shaking his head. Gibbs chuckled at the agent's comment. He knew it was true, which is why he was glad to take this case off their hands.

A flustered looking young man greeted them at the door. "You must be the NCIS agents coming to get the evidence for the rape case," he said out of breath. Gibbs rolled his eyes. He could tell this boy was new to metro, because he had enough respect to call them agents instead of "feds" as like they were usually addressed. "Yes. We have an outstanding warrant that grants us all access to cases with agency connections", Gibbs explained. "Yes, of course sir," the boy replied. Gibbs chuckled again as they followed the man back to the storage room. He had called him "sir"; this was definitely a new officer.

When they reached the evidence box under question, Gibbs was appalled. The box was in a dark corner of a completely full storage room. They hadn't even bothered to refrigerate the samples. "Is this how you treat all your cases," asked Gibbs. The officer looked back and stuttered, not knowing how to respond. "We're a little backed up here. We don't have the _luxury _of government funded labs and scientist", said a voice from behind them.

Gibbs turned to see a much older man, about his age, standing behind them. "I'll take it from here," he said to the younger man, who was still struggling to find words. The man quickly scurried off, wanting to avoid the confrontation that was about to take place.

"Like I was saying, I apologize we aren't up to the standards of a couple of feds". He said with a smirk. McGee stepped forward from behind Gibbs. Gibbs reached out hold him back. McGee wasn't used to the rudeness that they received from local LEO's. He wanted to avoid a fight if he could. "We were just leaving," said Gibbs as politely as possible; for him at least. The man let out a smirk and started to lead them out of the building.

"If you ask me," the man said, "law enforcement is no place for women. When you explained your situation to me over the phone agent Gibbs, it was just proof to my point" he finished with a chuckle. "And why is that," asked McGee bluntly. He didn't like where this man was going. "I mean, just look at it!" he said. "Female agent gets too closely involved with a case, and she winds up getting raped. That's about all there is too it". McGee stiffened and tried to step forward towards the man once more, but Gibbs held him back again. This time, he shot a warning glance in his direction. He knew McGee wasn't likely to do any damage, but it wouldn't look good for NCIS if he tried.

"And besides," the man continued, "a woman who can't defend herself against this sort of attack has no place on any team of mine. I guess your standards are a bit lower," he said to Gibbs and McGee. McGee lunged for the man, but Gibbs grabbed his arm and held him back.

"But boss," said McGee, his eyes not leaving the man, "I don't like the way he's talking about Kate". "Just let it go McGee. Be the bigger man," Gibbs whispered to him. McGee loosened up and stepped back once more. They had now reached the front of the building where they came in. The man thrust the box into Gibbs's arms with a smirk and said, "Have fun with this investigation Gibbs. I know your agent did".

Gibbs had wanted to avoid confrontation, but that last comment really got to him. When they turned to walk away, it was too tempting. He turned to McGee and gestured to the man, giving McGee permission to teach him a lesson. 'What's the worst he can do?' he thought as he kept walking.

McGee turned towards the man, who was still standing there with a cocky smirk on his face. He intended to teach this man a lesson by telling him what he thought of him, but anger raged through his body, and before he knew it; his fist was firmly connected with the man's face. As he doubled over in pain, McGee leaned down to speak to him.

"Listen up; I don't care what your opinion is of females, federal agents, or female federal agents, but I do care about your opinion of Kate. She's my friend, and she deserved to be treated with respect," he finished and walked away, leaving the man standing there with a bloody nose, and many shocked onlookers in his wake.

Gibbs smiled to himself. He hadn't expected that from McGee, but he was glad it came out. He was proud of him for defending his teammate and friend. If only they could help her heal directly…


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, this is a little bit shorter of a chapter, because I was going to make it two, but then it was too long. This chapter was kind of weird for me, because I honestly didn't like what Kate was doing, but I wanted to stick with the theme of her feeling week, and thinking it was her fault. She kind of pushes someone away, which bothers me, but it makes sense based on what happens. I will say though, I already have plans on how she and this person will have closure together later in the story. I have o say, I'm so very pleased with your input from the last chapter! I loved hearing what you guys had to say, and it would be really helpfull for you guys to give me input on this chapter too. I want to know if you guys thought it worked or not, because I could possibly tkt this in another direction if you guys totally hate it. So just let me know, you guys rock!

Abby walked into her lab slowly. She stepped through the door quietly as she looked around. The only sound that could be heard was the dripping from her wet umbrella and rain coat. It was dark inside the lab, and the sun hadn't come up yet. She reached over and flipped on a light switch. A portion of the lights blinked to life as she walked further into the lab. She stepped through the sliding doors and turned on the lamp at her desk. She sighed at the sight she saw.

Kate was lying on the floor with a blanket draped over her, and breathing heavily. Abby crouched down beside her and watched as her eyes moved rapidly under her eyelids. The last few hours were a blur, and she didn't exactly remember what she did after Gibbs called her and told her what had happened. She knew that they had just left for Metro, and she didn't have any evidence to work with yet, but she wasn't here for that. She was here for Kate. Kate was her best friend, and she wanted to be there for her while she was hurting. She had always been there for Kate, and now was no different.

But this _was_ different. This wasn't just wasn't just office drama, or a bad date story. This was a serious issue that she hadn't ever expected to have to deal with. She knew that Kate probably felt the same way, and that was why she hadn't come to her. Although she wished Kate had, she understood why she hadn't told anyone. She knew what it was like want to feel strong, and like she could take care of herself. She knew what traumas like this entailed. She understood that Kate had to be hurting severely, and it made her sad. She also knew that even though it wasn't, Kate probably thought it was her fault.

She knew Kate. She knew that she wanted to believe she could handle this herself, even if it wasn't true. And she knew that no matter how often she said otherwise, she was hurting. She was hurting so badly, and they hadn't even realized it. Abby wanted to cry and scream all at the same time. She was so angry at herself, and Tyler Ward, and the universe. Kate didn't deserve this. She'd been through so much already, this was just too much. She couldn't begin to imagine what it had been like, to be violated in such a way. She tried to imagine it herself, but it was too horrible. She couldn't even bring herself to think about it.

She leaned forward and brushed a few strands of hair away from Kate's face. Kate stirred and lifted her head. She looked somewhat confused as she groggily began to awaken, but as she remembered why she was there, her look of confusion turned to one of shame.

"Morning Abs," said Kate as she sat up all the way and popped her neck. She let out a long yawn and stretched her back. Abby could tell she hadn't been home all night, because she was wearing the same thing she had on the previous day. She also noticed that her makeup had been wiped away, and that there were tear tracks on her cheeks. She had been crying.

Abby's heart broke when she saw that, and she automatically threw her arms around her friend. Kate tensed up, but relaxed after a second. "Kate," started Abby, "Don't ever keep a secret like this from me again!" Kate sighed in reply, knowing that Abby understood shy she hadn't told anyone. Abby pulled away to look at Kate. There was a pained look on her face as she stared back at Abby. Abby was struggling to find the right words to say. She never had a problem with talking until now.

Kate stared back at her friend unsure of what to say. She wanted to spill her feeling to Abby, all at once, and get everything off of her chest, but she couldn't do that. Not yet at least. She felt bad enough that everyone had to carry this bourdon around with her, especially something that wasn't their faults.

"Kate," Abby began, but Kate cut her off by standing up. She hated to dismiss her friend like this especially one who was trying to help, but she wasn't going to throw all of her problems on Abby, especially when she had more important things to worry about. "Kate," Abby said again, this time grabbing her arm. Kate turned towards her, gaze never leaving the floor. Abby stood and looked at her until she made eye contact.

Abby's heart broke once again as she saw her friend's sad eyes. She saw tears threatening to fall as Kate tried to regain composure. "Kate," she began once more. "It's okay to be frustrated, and sad, and angry, and reserved. It's okay to not want to talk about it, but I can tell that you do. It's okay to want to be strong, but I'll think of you as strong no matter what. And contrary to popular belief, it's okay to cry", she finished.

Kate finally succumbed to her tears and let them fall as she embraced Abby once again. She let her tears fall freely now as her friend held her in a comforting embrace. He felt safe with Abby, and she was right; she did feel all of those things, and she did want to talk about it, and she did want to cry. She wanted to let go and allow herself to feel freely, but she just wasn't ready for that yet. So for now, she just cried into her friend's shoulder.

After a few minutes, Kate lifted her head and looked at Abby again. She looked sad and concerned, which made Kate feel even worse. Her whole team was upset, because of her. If she had just stopped this, no one would be in this mess. She backed away from Abby, not wanting to make her feel worse by saying of doing anything more.

"Abby, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I just-" Kate was cut off by Abby this time. "You shouldn't be sorry Kate, WE should be sorry. I didn't even realize how bad you were hurting and now everything is a mess and Gibbs is seriously worried and-" Abby was forced to stop when she ran out of breath. Kate smiled at her friend who had been talking a mile a minute. But her smile quickly fell as she saw how worried Abby was. She at least owed her an explination as to why she couldn't talk about it.

"Abs, I can't talk about it. Just not yet. I can't make you all feel worse with my sob story. I would never forgive myself it I ever made you all feel-" Abby cut her off once again, this time with a slight tone of anger in her face. "I know for a fact that not a single person in this building calls what happened to you a 'sob story'. No one is angry at you, or upset with you for what happened. The fact that you feel guilty for our emotions is absolutely ridiculous, and I won't have it" said Abby sternly. Kate stared back, not sure of what to say. She knew that what Abby said was true, and she had already heard it from Gibbs. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to believe it though.

Abby felt bad for getting angry with Kate, but she needed to get her point across. Kate was so stubborn, that once she believed something, it was set in her mind. She truly believed it was her fault that people were worried about her, and sad that she was hurting, which couldn't have been further from the truth. Kate, not knowing exactly how to respond, said a simple, "Thanks", before letting out a small amused smile and exiting the lab. Abby stood and watched her leave.

She was seriously worried about her. For one, she had just endured sever emotional and physical trauma, and now she believed that it was her fault. She hoped that for her own sanity's sake, that they caught this guy, because she couldn't handle seeing her friend like this. She knew she needed time, and that she shouldn't push it. Kate would open up to her in time, and she would realize that they were sad and worried, because they cared about her, not because of anything she did wrong. She would see that this wasn't her fault, and when she did, she would be able to heal.

Kate felt terrible for leaving Abby like that. She knew she was only trying to help, and that she really cared about her, but she couldn't bear to see her upset because of this. It was killing her to know that her team was sad for her, because she could have prevented the whole thing. Seeing Gibbs angry and sad last night broke her heart, and made her feel worse than she had before. She had cried herself to sleep last night because she couldn't stop thinking about it.

She also hated the idea that people now saw her as weaker than she was before. Even though Abby and Gibbs had said otherwise, it was hard to believe what they said was true. If they saw her as so strong, then why couldn't she keep control of her emotions? If she could take care of herself, then why was she in this mess to begin with? If they were telling the truth, then why did it all seem like one big lie to make her stop worrying about them, worrying about her? Why was it so hard for her to believe that they still thought she was strong, and that it wasn't her fault?


	7. Chapter 7

Okay! SO I'm glad you all responded positively to the Kate and Abby from my last chapter! I love to write the two of them, so I' really excited for what's to come later in the story between them. This chapter is angsty, but in a good way (I hope!). Again, it's sorter, but I promise I have slightly longer chapters coming your way soon It just didn't really make sense to pair this up with anything else, so I let it stand on it's own. This is the reaction that some of you all wanted to see, so here it is! Quick shout out to SmellyThePirate and K8 G.H. Ducey for the rocking reivews. Everybody, keep them coming! I looooove to hear your feedback, because it helps me know which directins to take the story! Thanks, and enjoy!

Chapter 7

Tony rushed into the building at seven in the morning with coffee in hand. He had waited an hour for a tow truck, and then took a cab all the way to work. 'Just my luck', he thought. 'When Gibbs calls us in during the middle of the night, my car won't start'. He rushed into the bullpen and to his surprise, no one was there. He saw their coats on their chairs, so they were probably somewhere in the building, but they were nowhere to be seen.

He walked over to Gibbs's desk and saw an evidence box sitting there. He opened it up and looked inside. There was no physical evidence still inside the box, which probably meant they were taking it down to Abby at this very moment. He noticed that the markings on the box indicated it was from Metro PD. He rolled his eyes as he pulled out the case file. This so called "emergency" was just another time that NCIS had to clean up after the incompetent officers at Metro. He flipped through the files nonchalantly until he hit the page containing the witness statement. This was the case that Tyler Ward was involved in; the one where he was suspected for rape.

Tony gulped as he began to read the recount that the victim had told the police officers. He cringed as he read the detailed recollection of the violence of the attack. He hated dealing with cases like that. Contrary to popular belief, he DID have respect for women. It made him sick to hear things like that. His eyes skimmed over the remainder of the notes about the victim and her behavior. The officers had noted that she seemed distant, but also wasn't very emotional. 'She must have been in shock', Tony thought. He sighed and was about to close the file when something caught his eye. He noticed that at the very bottom of the page there was a time and date stamp, along with the names of the officers who took the woman's statement. He also noticed that the name of the victim was listed.

When he read the names, his blood ran cold. At first he thought it was a mistake and that he had read it wrong. Then he believed that it might just be some odd coincidence. But he couldn't fool himself into thinking it wasn't true. Everything that had happened over the last week made sense. Kate had been "sick" the day that the attack had taken place. She had missed more work this week than she had in her two previous years combined. She had acted so strange and reserved yesterday, and she looked like she was about to faint when she heard Tyler's name mentioned. He cringed at his realizations. The women who had been violently raped by Tyler Ward, was none other than Special Agent Caitlin Todd.

Tony was lost in his own thoughts when he heard the elevator door ding. He immediately slammed the file back down on the desk and looked up to see Gibbs and McGee headed back towards the bullpen. "DiNozzo!" shouted Gibbs. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked angrily. Tony stared back, not knowing how to respond. He could tell Gibbs about how his car had broken down, and whine about the crappy tow truck service he had received, but none of that seemed relevant anymore. Any excuse he could think of was outweighed by the problem in front of them.

He mentally kicked himself for not getting into work on time this morning. If only he had known what they were up against. He felt guilty for making Gibbs and probie go to Metro without him. He felt guilty for taking his own time when Kate needed their help. Overall, he just felt guilty. And he was at a complete loss for words.

Gibbs stared back at Tony angrily, waiting for an explanation. He saw Tony was trying to think of something to say. He looked back at him with an expression that said he was at a loss. Gibbs then noticed that his hand was resting on a file from Metro PD. Gibbs automatically realized what had happened. Tony had already read the file. Even though he was angry and annoyed with him for not coming in early, he hadn't deserved to find out that way.

When Tony realized that Gibbs saw his hand on the file, he was snapped out of his trance. He slowly lifted the file, and held it out to Gibbs. Gibbs accepted it without breaking eye contact with the young agent. Tony dropped his hand and stared back. He let out a soft and strained, "Excuse me," before pushing past Gibbs and heading for the restroom. Gibbs turned and watched his agent leave. He considered following him, but he knew that Tony would need some time to process before anyone could try to talk to him. So he sat down at his desk as McGee did the same. The two men began to work in silence, on what they could already tell would be a very difficult case.

Tony pounded his fist against the wall. He felt a bead of sweat fun down his neck as he breathed heavily. He turned and walked toward the sink to splash more water on his face. He felt like he was running in circles with himself. As soon as he would think he was calm, he would think of something else and be angry again. But he had every right to be angry; with himself, and with Tyler Ward.

Tyler Ward; that name made him want to spit. He had disliked many people before, but he HATED this man for what he did to Kate. He wanted to see him die. He was out for blood. He knew this man deserved worse than death for hurting his friend, whom he cared about more than most of his friends he'd ever had before.

That thought scared him, though. He did really care about Kate. He thought of her as family; the whole team was family. But something about her was different. It was most likely because she was a woman, and he felt more obligated to protect her. Look at what a job he'd done at that! He couldn't even protect his friend when it most counted. What good was he?

He felt angry at himself once more and turned as he ran his hands through his hair. He had never experienced these sorts of mixed emotions before. He'd never experienced anything like this before. He felt like he had failed Kate.

'Boy does she hate me even more now', thought Tony. He knew that he could have protected her, had he been there. He hoped that she could forgive him some day, but he wouldn't blame her if she couldn't. He thought back to the report he had read earlier, and what it said. He remembered it read something like, "Victim reports that the man held her at gunpoint as he bound and gagged her. The man allegedly removed her clothing with his knife, and proceeded to forcibly rape her. The victim couldn't recall the amount of time that this occurred for, but the hospital estimates the trauma was repeated, and lasted for at least an hour". Tony shuddered once more, and felt his blood run cold. All he could do was picture Kate helpless, being violated by this monster. That was what he was; a monster.

He couldn't imagine facing Kate again. Not after what he'd done to her. He hadn't been there to protect her when she most needed it, and he was sure that she wouldn't be too happy with him. He also didn't want to upset her by saying or doing anything that made her uncomfortable. He felt like he could easily do something that would make her flashback or recall the events that occurred that night. He wanted more than anything to make her feel better, and stop her from hurting.

It still made him sick to think about this kind of thing being done to anyone, but it made him blood thirsty to think about it being done to Kate. She had been violated, and tortured, and hurt in a way that he couldn't even dare think about. He knew that all of this longing to help would do her no good now. He couldn't do anything but tell her how sorry he was that he hadn't been there to protect her. He hoped that she would understand eventually that he never wanted her to get hurt like this, and that he would do anything it took to make her feel better; including bringing Tyler Ward's head to her on a pike.

He finally decided that he was calm enough to exit the men's room, and turned to walk through the door. As he walked out, he could tell that there was a strange vibe in the bullpen today. By this time in the morning, it was apparent that everyone in the office knew what had happened. He again felt sorry for Kate. He knew that she wouldn't want everyone sniffing around in her personal life, and that this was no exception. She deserved better that awkward passing glances and water cooler gossip about her from people who barely knew her, and didn't really care about what had happened. He walked up to Gibbs desk, and saw that he was about to say something. He held his hand up in protest.

"Gibbs, before you say anything, let me just tell you; I'm sorry that I was late this morning, and it won't happen again for the duration of this case. I'm also sorry that I have failed you as a team member by not being here to assist you with said case. And I'm also sorry for showing weakness by apologizing; I will now proceed to give myself a head slap", Tony finished as he reached behind himself and slapped his hand on the back of his head.

Gibbs wasn't sure how to reply to that strange one sided conversation, so he just watched as Tony turned and walked to his desk. He watched as he booted up his computer and began to work in silence along with McGee and himself. He could see something in Tony's eyes that said he was determined. He was as determined as himself to catch this bastard, and he knew that Tony would do whatever it took to do so.


	8. Chapter 8

Alright friends, this chapter might seem somewhat familiar... because it is. I used a lot of the diologue from Kill Ari Part 1, because I really liked how Gibbs and the director interact, and I like how the introduction of Jenny was handled. So that's what the latter part of this chapter is, but it also has a twist, because obviosly, Kate is not dead in my story, so you will just have to read and find out what everyone has to say! As for the beginning, I wanted to show Kate talking with a character that hasn't really been involved in this story yet, and I think that this character is definately someone who she would go talk to in a time of crisis. So I hope you all enjoy this, because things are getting ready to pick up! I enjoyed your reviews for the last chapter, but lets top it with this chapter's reviews! You guys rock!

Chapter 8

Kate wanted to go somewhere in the building that was free from people asking her questions, and wanting her to open up. She was tired of losing control of her emotions, and feeling week. She was sick of feeling guilty for other people's sorrow. That's why she decided to visit Ducky in the morgue. She walked down the flight of stairs to his floor, and stepped through the sliding doors. When she looked around the room, she saw him alone, working on a dead sailor that had been brought in earlier this morning due to a death-by-heart-attack. When he heard her walk in, he immediately dropped what he was doing and walked over to her.

"Caitlin, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. Is there anything I can get for you?" asked the old doctor with a sincere look of concern in his eyes. "Just a sense of normalcy Ducky," she replied with a slight smile. "Right," he replied, "So I assume that means a cup of tea and some good conversation?" he said with a smile. Kate chuckled in return as Ducky proceeded to put on a kettle of water for the tea. She knew that the conversation would most likely be one sided, but she really didn't mind at this point.

Ducky sat down by his body as Kate sat in a chair nearby and began to drink her tea. After what seemed like hours of stories from the old Doctor, and three cups of tea, Kate finally decided to breach the subject that she could tell he'd been avoiding. "Ducky," she started. He looked a little surprised that she had finally said something. She had only been listening the whole time, and he wasn't even sure that she was still paying attention to him; not that he minded. He understood that her mind was probably in another place right now.

"I've only been here for two years, and while I've been here, I haven't seen it first-hand. But I've heard stories about how Gibbs handles cases like this, and none of them are good", she finished seriously. Duck sighed and stood hesitantly. He walked over to wash his hands as he spoke. "Well me dear, there are two acts that Agent Gibbs cannot stand, and one of them is anything having to do with children". "And what's the other one, considering that's not very relevant to what's happening right now," she said in reply. He sighed and turned off the water. He looked down at his feet as he cautiously said, "The other, dare I say it, is any act of sexual assault against a woman".

Kate stood and walked over to Ducky, who was still frozen, looking at his feet. "And how does he handle it?" asked Kate hesitantly. She could tell that the answer wouldn't be good, based on Ducky's reaction to her question. "Well," he began, "I recall a case very similar to the one he's working on now". He was trying not to mention Kate's involvement, if at all possible. "A young woman, in her mid-thirties, was assaulted by her boyfriend. Gibbs took a frightening interest in the case, and chased the man for weeks before finally arresting him. I've never seen him so determined to catch a criminal, at least until Ari came along. He was always saying that he never wanted the man to be able to hurt anyone again, and that was why he wanted to catch him so badly. I suppose one victim of this crime was already too much for him to handle", he finished with a slight chuckle.

"The only difference is that Ari IS involved. And I was perfectly capable of protecting myself", Kate said sadly. "Oh Caitlin, how could you say that?" Ducky asked solemnly. "You of all people should know that victims always consider themselves at fault; especially when that's not the case. And you know as well as I do that that is certainly not the case here", he finished. Kate turned and walked towards his desk to set down her tea cup. "I appreciate your saying so Ducky, but you're not the first to tell me that, and I know you certainly won't be the last. I just wish that made it easier to believe", she said distantly as she stared into space.

Ducky walked up behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She flinched, but allowed his hand to stay. "That will only come in time, my dear. All wounds heal with time," he reassured her. Kate turned and left silently, without looking back at Ducky. He stood and watched her leave, becoming more and more concerned for her by the second. He hoped that time would indeed heal her wounds; time was all she had left now.

Gibbs walked into MTAC five minutes after the director had called him in. He hadn't briefed the director on their case yet, but he was positive that he already knew most of the details. The news had spread through the office like wildfire this morning, and he hoped that for Kate's sake, there were no rumors circulating. He walked to the back of the room and took a seat next to the director, who was watching some sort of joint operation take place in screen.

"What do you have?" asked the director, his eyes not leaving the screen. "I'm sure that I can't tell you anything you don't already know", Gibbs replied. "I want the details of the case Gibbs. Believe it or not, I care too; she is my agent after all", the director replied, still watching the operation take place. "Well director, actually she's my agent," Gibbs started, "but I can tell you that there is a definite connection with Ari here, and that Tyler Ward is our prime, and only suspect. That's about all I have right now". The director chuckled at his remark about Kate being 'his agent'.

"I've had every director of every agency knocking at my door, wanting to know why Ari is dead. What do you suppose I tell him agent Gibbs?" he asked slightly annoyed. "Well sir," replied Gibbs, "you should tell them that he tried to kill one of my people he succeeded at shooting another, and me. He almost blew up an entire port of Navy families earlier this week, and now a man who he was involved with has attacked one of my agents. I'm sure that that's answer enough". "And how do you think I should explain Tyler Ward's involvement in this case? You don't think that piece of information will be something they would like to know?" he asked, finally looking at Gibbs.

"Well sir, it's pretty simple if you really want to know my opinion. Don't tell them," he replied as he began to stand. His attention was averted to the screen, however, and he heard a voice say 'target acquired'. He then heard someone say something in another language, possible Arabic, on another line. People all started talking at once, so it was hard to gather what was happening. Suddenly, the screen went black, and someone said 'target hit'. The members of the operation all stood, and he heard a woman say, "Good job everyone".

Gibbs watched as the people began to say their goodbye's and file out of the room. "Where was I?" the director asked after it had quieted down some. "Avoiding the use of Tyler's name and the word rapist in the same sentence, sir," replied Gibbs with a slightly annoyed tone. "Your anger is understandable, Jethro. Your agent was hurt, you want pay back," he replied calmly. "Don't you?" asked Gibbs. "It's a passion I can't afford, unfortunately", the director replied. "You honestly think that Ari wasn't involved in this?" asked Gibbs quizzically. "No, but there are others who will think s when they find out," the director replied seriously. Gibbs chuckled before replying. "Those who ran him? Those who thought they had the holy grail of moles?" he asked. By now almost all of the people who were involved in the on-screen operation were now gone.

"Anyway," the director said, "you're not my problem anymore Jethro". "You firing me sir?" he asked as he looked up at the now standing man. "I've been offered a deputy director's position at homeland security", he replied. "You'd leave NCIS sir?" Gibbs questioned. "Well, the agency could use some younger blood," he answered at he shrugged. "Who will be replacing you sir?" Gibbs asked. The director stared back as a slight smile played across his lips. "Not me!" exclaimed Gibbs. The director laughed in reply and then said, "As much as I like you Jethro, I would not shoot NCIS in the head". He walked down to the first row, where a woman was still sitting. "He's your problem now director," he told her before exiting the room. The woman turned around and said, "Hello Jethro".

Gibbs automatically flashed back to his time undercover in Paris. He remembered the operation and the undercover work, along with some more steamy details between him and his partner. He remembered his partner fondly, and as someone who he would most likely never see again. Despite that assumption, there she was, standing in front of him; hair as fiery red as ever. There in front of him, saw Jenny Shepard.

Gibbs and Jenny walked down the stairs from MTAC with Gibbs following close behind. "My first day on the job, and this is what you leave me to deal with?" she asked Gibbs, slightly annoyed by his actions. "I did you a favor, Jen. If I hadn't killed Ari, he would still be out there, as a danger to the public, and to my team. As for Tyler, I can assure you that he will be dead too as soon as I find him," he replied sincerely. Jenny shook her head at his reassurance. It wasn't actually very reassuring from a director's point of view. "It's director to you, agent Gibbs. And I'm aware of the involvement of Tyler Ward in this case. Unfortunately, when other agencies hear word of it, killing him, or even charging him, might be out of the question," she replied.

Gibbs spun around and stopped in front of her. "Listen madam director," he said sarcastically, causing Jenny to roll her eyes. "I know that because of his involvement with Ari, other agencies will want jurisdiction over Tyler Ward, but I'm letting you know right now, that's not going to happen. He hurt one of my agents, and believe it or not, I'm not too happy about it. So you can make his easy on yourself, by not getting other people involved, or you can make it hard on yourself. But I will put up a fight for her. I will get this man if it's the last thing I do", Gibbs said angrily through his teeth.

Jenny stared back for a moment, weighing her options. She knew that as director, it was her job to keep other people involved. But she also knew that Jethro wouldn't have any bit of it if someone else tried to take over the case. She also understood why it was so important for him to solve it himself. Todd was one of his agents after all, and she knew that if she were team leader and one of her agents was hurt, she would want revenge.

"Alright Jethro," she finally said. "This stays here, for now. But if I hear any business about you getting too personal with the case, I will not hesitate to involve other people". "Jen," he said with a much softer tone this time, "this case is already personal". She nodded in reply as Gibbs turned and walked back to his desk. As he sat down, the phone rang, and he snatched it immediately. He listened to the caller on the other line for only a few moments before hanging up.

"Tony, McGee," he said, "got a hit on Tyler at a convenient store in Maryland. Let's go check it out". As the men were hustling onto the elevator, they ran smack into Kate, who had been coming to retrieve some things from her desk.

"Gibbs," she exclaimed as she drew back, averting her eyes to the ground, away from her fellow agents. She hadn't yet seen, or spoken to Tony or McGee. They all three tensed up the moment they saw her, which made her slightly uncomfortable. She shifted her weight as she waited for something to be said. "Todd," said Gibbs cautiously, "with me; now". Gibbs stepped into the elevator, followed by the other men. The ride down to the garage was silent and awkward. No one made eye contact with Kate, or each other. Gibbs could tell that it was going to take a while for their team to be normal again. But for some reason, he found comfort in the fact that his men cared about their fellow female agent so much. Maybe he had taught them a thing or two.


	9. Chapter 9

This chapter is almost all FLUFF, and I love it so much! It's pretty precious, if I do say so myself. THere are some important plot points though, reguarding the case, so that's cool too I guess. I really enjoy this chapter though, and I'm really, REALLY enjoying teasing you shippers out there. This chapter is just more confussion on whom Kate will be paired with eventually, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Also, I mentioned before that the McGee in my story wasn't really "seasion three McGee", and in this chapter, he definately isn't! He's much much more mature and confident, but just as sweet as ever, so when you picture this in your head, think of recent McGee, and it will make sense. I hope you guys like this chapter, and I hope you all will tell me what you think, because I would love to know if I was able to make it fluffy enough. Thanks, and enjoy!

Chapter 9

Gibbs was driving down the highway in silence, as he observed his agents. Tony was in the front seat, with his eyes staring straight forward out the window. He looked like he was deep in thought. Tim was in the back seat, behind him, and shifting uncomfortably every few moments. He was trying to distract himself by looking out the window, but didn't seem to be succeeding. Kate was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, and staring out the window. She appeared to be either deep in thought like Tony, or spaced out. It was probably a combination of the two. No one had said a word the entire car ride, and the tension was mounting by the second.

He knew that this was going to be uncomfortable, but he wanted Kate to come anyway. He felt better when she was under his watchful eye. He knew that she was in a fragile state right now, even if she believed otherwise. He didn't want her to feel alone, or too crowded at the office. He also knew that McGee and Tony needed to deal with her presence as well.

McGee didn't do well with awkward situations, but he could tell that he wanted to talk to her. McGee always wanted to make people feel better, and Kate really needed some of that right now. Tony on the other hand, wasn't in any state to be comforting; which is why when they arrived at the store, he brought Tony in with him, and ordered McGee to stay in the car. McGee and Kate sat in silence for a few minutes. McGee was trying to think of the right words to say to her, while Kate seemed to be ignoring his presence all together. Finally, McGee just decided to go for it; nothing could be more awkward than silence right?

"Kate," McGee said softly, almost a whisper. When she didn't respond, he said it again, but slightly louder. She still didn't acknowledge his attempt at conversation, however. He said it one last time, in his normal speaking voice. When Kate's thoughts were interrupted, she jumped and whipped her head towards McGee. He was slightly shocked at her reaction, so instead of saying something nice, he just said, "sorry, I didn't mean to startle you". Kate stared back for a moment before muttering, "It's fine," and turning back towards the window. McGee could see that this conversation was going nowhere very fast, and that he just needed to get out what he wanted to say.

"Listen, Kate," he started again. Kate turned her attention back to him. He found it hard to continue, with her watching him with such sad eyes. He had never seen her acting so strangely, and off from her normal self. He could tell that she was hurting, but that she was trying to be strong at the same time. "I just wanted to let you know that no matter what you might think right now, I still think that you're-" McGee started, but was cut off. "No McGee, really, you don't have to," Kate said sadly as she turned back towards the window. "No Kate, just listen," he replied. He reached out and took her hand that was sitting next to her on the seat. She slowly turned to meet his gaze again, and lowered her eyes down to where her hand was in his.

At first she felt uncomfortable, but after a moment, she realized that the gesture of comfort was nice. She was glad that McGee was as sweet as he was. "No matter what you think," McGee said again, "I still think that you're an incredibly strong person, who is more than capable of taking care of herself. Believe it or not, I've always looked up to you Kate. You're like the big sister I never had. I hope you realize that I don't see you as weaker now, and I don't blame you for what happened. I still look up to you, and I would do anything to help keep you safe". McGee finished, with a more sincere look in his eyes than Kate had ever seen from him before.

Kate wasn't sure how to reply. She was overwhelmed by McGee's gesture. She knew that it was probably hard for him to say that. The words, however, had almost no effect on her. It was the same old thing that everyone had been telling her; Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, and now McGee. She felt like they were reading from a script. The words 'not your fault' and 'you're still strong' seemed to be nonsense that didn't even make coherent sentences.

But again, the gesture was sweet. So sweet in fact, that Kate felt herself get a little teary eyed. She turned her head away and whipped hem before they had a chance to fall, hoping it would go unnoticed by McGee, but when she turned around, he was watching her with concern. "McGee," she said, "I don't know what to say".

"Just say that you forgive me", he replied quickly. Kate puller her hand away to push her hair back. "For what?" she asked, slightly confused. "For not being there to protect you", he replied as he looked at his feet.

Tony and Gibbs walked into the convenience store and up to the counter where a pretty young woman, about 25 stood. Under normal circumstances, Tony probably would have hit on her, but these were nor normal circumstances. She looked up as they approached, and the expression on her face turned to one of dread. "Oh no," she said, "who screwed up this time?" The two men looked back at her, very confused. "I bet it was Bobby, wasn't it? I heard that he's been having some problems with drug dealers lately. Doesn't surprise me that someone got the cops after him," she continued nonchalantly.

"Ma'am, we're not here because of any drugs. We're NCIS agents," he said as he showed her his badge, "and we were wondering if you knew anything about this man who came in here earlier?" Tony held up a picture of Tyler and said, "His name is Tyler Ward. Ring any bells?"

"Maybe," she replied. "He looks sort of familiar, but I definitely didn't talk to him. I'd remember if I did; he's easy on the eyes," she finished with a smirk. Tony coughed awkwardly, and Gibbs said, "Well, can we maybe talk to someone who did talk to him?"

"That would be me," said a man who walked up behind the women. "Summer, you can go on break now. Gentlemen, follow me". Tony and Gibbs followed the man to the back of the store, and put the back door.

"Sorry if Summer was giving you any trouble. The employees around here are fairly used to dealing with law enforcement, unfortunately. They can spot a cop a mile away," he said as they walked around the back of the building. "Now as for that man, I did speak with him earlier. He was buying a prepaid phone, and was inquiring about some strange things".

"Such as," Gibbs asked as they turned the corner of the building. "Well, his main concern was the level of confidentiality he would have with a prepaid phone. The ability for it to be tracked, his name being linked to the number; things like that," the manager replied. "I told him I didn't know, but he bought it anyway".

Gibbs looked at Tony with a look of concern. If Tyler wanted confidentiality over the phone, he was probably going to attempt to contact them, or worse, Kate. The manager had now led them all the way back to the front of the store, where they stepped back inside the building. He led them over to the register, where he opened up a small drawer behind the cabinet.

"This is the activation card from his phone. We always keep then, just in case something like this happens. I'm willing to look the other way if you all need to take it, since I'm assuming you don't have a warrant", he told them. Gibbs could tell that this man knew how to handle police well, because he seemed to be giving them all the right answers.

Gibbs took the card off the counter while the man pretended to be preoccupied with something on the computer. Tony and Gibbs began to exit the building, and the man looked up and said, "I hope that answers all of your questions. If you don't mind me asking, why are you investigating Mr. Ward?" Gibbs looked over his shoulder at the man, and then looked away without replying.

Kate stared at McGee, not knowing how to reply. How could he ever think this was his fault? She knew Gibbs had said something similar earlier, but she assumed that he always took credit for his team's safety like that. But Tim feeling guilty and that it was his fault was just too much for her to take. She could feel the tears creeping to her eyes, but she was determined to hold them in.

"Tim," she whispered, "how could you ever think that this was your fault?" she asked. Tim watched as her eyes appeared to grow shiny, and he could see unshed tears begin to build up inside. He hoped that Kate wouldn't cry; he didn't think he could bear to see her cry.

"It's my job as your partner to protect you, and I didn't do my job. You were hurt, and we could have stopped it," he replied softly. Kate could feel the tears threatening to spill over, so she turned away. Seeing her tem feel guilty made her feel guilty. She hated to see the feel bad because of her, and she wanted more than anything to stop it all. She couldn't take much more of this, and she couldn't hold in her tears any longer.

McGee watched the back of Kate's head after she turned away. He could see a few tears fall into her lap from behind, and then her shoulders started to shake gently. He heard a whimper, and he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Kate," he said softly. She didn't turn towards him, so he pulled her shoulder gently to get her to angle her body towards him. She slowly turned back towards him, and his heart broke at what he saw.

Kate had tear streaks on her cheeks, and her eyes looked incredibly sad. Tim's sorrow for her conveyed through his facial expression, which Kate noticed. When she saw hoe sad he looked, it only made the tears flow faster.

McGee watched as she lost control over her emotions like he had never seen her do before. Seeing Kate cry was even harder than he had thought it would be. He felt so angry at himself for not stopping what had happened. He just wanted to take her pain away, because it was killing him to see her like this.

Kate's gaze turned from Tim, to her feet as the tears began to fall more freely. She didn't want him to see her like this, and started to exit the car. Her hand reached for the door handle. His hand gently pulled her away from the handle, and she looked at him with pleading eyes. Instead of letting her go, he made her stay. He wanted to show her that even though it was hard for him to see her hurting, he was there for her, and she didn't have to hide her emotions from him.

Kate looked at McGee, then back at the door. She hoped he would let her go, but at this point it didn't really matter. She had already let her guard down and showed him that he was wrong about how strong she was, so why did it matter? She gave up and dropped her hand and let out a choked sob.

McGee signed sadly and leaned forward to Kate slowly. He didn't want to cause her to relive of flashback to anything that made her upset, so he wanted to give her time to back out if she wanted. When she didn't move, he slowly brought his arms around her in a comforting embrace. She didn't even tense up under his tough, she just relaxed into his arms, because she felt safe and comforted.

McGee held Kate in a protective embrace, like she was something incredibly fragile, but something that needed to be guarded. He felt her sobs racking her body in his arms, and it made him even sadder.

"Shh," he said softly, "it's okay now. Everything's going to be okay". Kate's tears began to subside, but she wanted to remain like this forever. She felt incredibly safe. But she also felt disappointed in herself for losing control of her emotions again. She hated for Tim to see her like this. She was sure that everything he said about her being strong was now totally wrong.

Kate finally pulled away, finally realizing how Tim must feel to watch her break down like that. "I'm so sorry Tim, I didn't meat to…I just wanted to…I-" McGee cut off her rambling. "Stop saying you're sorry!" he said a little bit harsher than before. "You didn't do anything wrong! There's nothing wrong with hurting. It's okay to cry," he finished softer. Kate looked back up at him, with less sad eyes. Tim let a small smile play across his mouth as Gibbs opened the driver's side door to the car.

Tony and Gibbs piled in and Gibbs began the long drive back to D.C. He noticed, however, that the atmosphere in the car seemed to be much less tense, and McGee was no longer awkward. He smiled as he realized that his two agents must have talked. He knew that it was good for both of them to get things out. Now, the only task in front of them was finding this dirt bag that put Kate in the middle of this mess in the first place.


End file.
